Show off your fixed blades!

[stagman]

Mike Stewart started Bark River

Any Hess started Hess Knife Works

When Mike was at Marble's from 1998-2002, thats when some of the best knives
in their 111 tr history came out of...when I got my 1st one in my hand in 1998, I sold off a lot
of Case straight blades I had and started my investing in Marble's and never looked back

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

[kootenay joe]

Stagman, the problem i have with the recent(not vintage) Marbles is that most of us cannot tell which knives are from the Mike Stewart era.
The owners of Marbles had similar looking knives made in China but they are not marked "China". Some knives might have been assembled in Gladstone from imported Chinese parts. The owners were not forthcoming about which of their knives were truly USA and which ones were basically Chinese, even if assembled in USA.
This has adversely affected the value of the Mike Stewart Marbles knives. I have often looked at Marbles on ebay but i won't bid because i cannot tell which are the Mike Stewart knives. Most sellers have never heard of Mike Stewart and firmly believe all Marbles are USA made in Michigan.
Are there certain features that ID a Mike Stewart made knife ?
kj

[cato]

well , not sure of maker it has a

D WITH A TREE BESIDE IT ( SCRIBE)

OTHER SIDE HAS

DOC ENGRAVED

THINKING 70S ERA

[jerryd6818]

Does anyone know when Marbles used the "Bobcat boxes"? Did they span the Mike Stewart years plus beyond?

[kootenay joe]

Cato, your DOC knife blade looks buffed with a few old pits just visible. Maybe blade came from another knife and was cleaned up & re-handled ?
You can buy blades similar to this one but i think the finish is quite smooth, no oxidation spots showing.
I say this in the hope that others will comment so if i am wrong i learn something.
kj

[stagman]

They used Bobcat boxes 1997-2001 Jerry......you can also tell by the 1997-98 years...the
knives were all stamped Marble's Gladstone Mi USA....1999-2001 they were laser etch stamped the same thing
You can tell "the exact" years Stewart era knives were made from 1998 to 2001 by the color sequence of the spacers
So Stewart era knives are quite easily identified
I have several in my store, check stamps and spacers and you will see what I mean

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

[kootenay joe]

Stagman thanks for the above info. Could you post a picture showing the 2 markings: "Marble's Gladstone Mi USA" stamped & laser etched ?
On ebay one cannot be sure that it is the correct knife being shown with a Bobcat box. Did a 'bunch' of Bobcat boxes get into general circulation ?
kj

[kootenay joe]

Stagman, i just looked at every one of the recent Marbles knives in your store ! You have some great knives and your descriptions help somewhat towards understanding the tang markings.
Re: the banner stamp: some are just "Marbles" and others are "Marbles/USA". Your description says both made in USA. I had thought the lack of USA in the marking indicated a China made contract knife ?
I had to exercise much control to not buy one of your Willow pattern Marbles.
kj

[jerryd6818]

The one labeled "Stamped" is from Will's store. The one labeled "Etched" is my knife.

[stagman]

Thanks Mr Jerry for showing the actual stamped blade and the same stamp in the laser etching...
Joe...the Banner stamp came out in 2002..Marble's "only" on it
in late 2005 into 2006 the USA was added to the Banner stamp
its my understanding around late 2006 into 2007 untill they went bankrupt in 2009
Camillus made the blades and they were assembled in Gladstone
When EX Case president George Brinkley came on board at Marble's in 2002, Mike Stewart Quit, started
his own Bark River outfit
He was the one (Brinkley) that wanted Gladstone Mich dropped from the stamp because he knew he was gonna go to china with them
get folk's used to no Gladstone on the stamp so to speak
it all went to Haydeeze after Craig Lauerman sold out to Brinkley in late 2006
While the Stewart / Lauerman team was in place...my goodness, some top shelf stuff came out of that old Gladstone factory, customs, MSA stamped customs, crown stags, 4 pin stags, Ideals, Trailmakers, Loveless amd Moran collaborations, several NEVER seen patterns, endless the quality knives that was made !!!
I actually spoke a couple times around 2000 and 2004 to Craig Lauerman and got some of my questions brought to lite from him
I said in some other post here before in the late 1990's, guys at GM where I was a machinist-tool maker for 31 years were buying stocks
like crazy..they all laughed their butts off at me cause I said I am buying Marble's STAG, not stocks
I had the last laugh on em when they lost it all and I 3 x 5 times my money
Sorry for the ramble but I been into Marble's since I seen my Uncle Al get a 3 piece gift set ( knife, matchbox, compass ), at Christmas in about 1958-9
I was hooked for life

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

[cato]

seen this on ebay for a while,
kept going back and looking at it..

just came in ..
nice old knife .. thinking late 70s or early 80s
just neat ole heavy worker, little flare with the file work
nice stag handle
OAL 9 1/8 TH INCHES BLADE 4 AND 7/8 THS HANDLE 4 INCH

makers mark just a H WITH A SMILE

[kootenay joe]

Will, thanks for giving the history of the final years of Marbles. A person needs to be really 'into' Marbles to be able to tell the great knives from the 'o.k.' ones. It's great to now know someone who knows this, i.e., you.
You did not say how the China made knives fit into the last few Marbles years. I once read that for awhile the knives being assembled in Gladstone were using parts from China before they went to importing finished knives from China ?
Is any of this true ?
kj

[stagman]

Nice little knife Cato...little dog-gone beef-eater, ain't it ???
Looks like it is built too use hard

I do not know what they did up there from 2007 to sept. 2009 when they closed the doors Joe
I try and have accumulated knives mostly from 1998-2006
Up till Craig Lauerman sold in 2005-6...they were doing everything in Gladstone,,,
except for buying some USA blade blanks from Camillus and doing all the finish grinding in Michigan
I sure had a ball with the Lauerman / Stewart era re-surgence tho
You would not believe the auctions and the deals I got on this era knives when the china stuff 1st showed up
Folk's in Michigan were letting the Stewart era knives go for super low $$$...wanting to get away from Marble's
I retired in 2006 and had the time and $$$ thankfully to be there and gobble em up

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

[steve99f]

I don't have many fixed blade knives but here are a few.

[steve99f]

The top two are a Rocky Menefee drop point with micarta scales and below that is a patch knife from Blind Horse Knife. Then a Buck 103 and the sharpfinger.

[kootenay joe]

Here are 2 Marbles knives that i bought on ebay without really knowing for sure if i was getting a USA knife. Both are marked "Marbles/Gladstone, MI. U.S.A." by laser etch i think.
Using info from Will's AAPK store i think i have a "Sport 99" made in 1999 and with 52100 steel and a cocobolo stick tang handle. and a "Campcraft" from 2001, 8 7/8" OAL & 4 1/2" blade, cocobolo stick tang handle.
Both i think are from the 'Mike Stewart era'. Did Mike make knives as well as design them ? Or was he over seeing others who were grinding blades, making handles, etc. ?
If i have not identified my knives shown below correctly, please post a correction.
kj

[kootenay joe]

Here is a 9 1/4" knife marked:Northwoods Knives/Gladestone, Mich./U.S.A."
I think i bought this in 2009 ? from Dave Shirley and understood him to say that it was made in the Marbles shop during the time Mike Stewart was there.
Do you recognize this as a Marbles pattern ?
If you know anything about this Northwoods knife please post it.
I have dressed out 2 deer with it.
kj

[gsmith7158]

Here are three recent additions.

[carrmillus]

....gs, is that first one a Camillus????...... ............

[gsmith7158]

....gs, is that first one a Camillus????...... ............

No Tommy, it's a Catt Ovalhole packing knife.

[carrmillus]

...sure looks similar(shape and bone) to some of the old Camillus fixed blade knives!!......... ...........

[knife7knut]

Posted this one in the Cattaraugus thread and thought I'd stick it over here as well. A Cattaraugus Stainless Floater with original sheath. The pommel suggests the blade may be similar to the Western style construction(a forked tang to lighten weight)and the handle is some type of lightweight wood(not cork but maybe balsa)that was painted to seal it in order for it to float if dropped in the water. The blade has a small bend near the tang that I am in the process of trying to straighten with a brass hammer and some scratches that I will leave as I don't want to disturb the etch.Coated the sheath with a little mineral oil to soften it up and cleaned the verdigris off the snap.Not bad for $6.

[CheckSix]

Couple of new to me Marbles... Stewart era - '98 - '02 - Gladstone, MI. Campcraft 2000 and a 1998 Trailmaker.

The Campcraft 2000 is 9" OAL and 4-1/2" blade. 4 pin Stag.

The Trailmaker is from 1998, 12-1/4" OAL with a 7-1/4" blade. Stag grip. This is a super heavy duty handful of knife!

[CheckSix]

post Stewart Marbles Cowboy knife... smooth bones scales...

[kootenay joe]

Dave, do you know where this "post Stewart" knife was made ?
Queen contract ?
cutlers working in Gladstone workshop: making all of the knife ?
using pre made blades to build knives ?
if blades not made in house were they made in USA or China ?
I ask because i have not been able to understand the actual origin of the Marbles knives after Mike Stewart left (2002).
All that said: It's a neat looking knife that calls me to pick it up.
The exact origin of these Marbles knives is just my curiosity. Regardless of how they came to be, many of these knives look great, including this Cowboy.
kj